I have been looking at a couple of music videos lately for a potential gig. I've struggled with this medium for a while now; not as a filmmaker, but as a viewer. I found a lot of them to either be lazy artistically, not well done or very typical in the sense that you throw some money in the camera, rent some cars, hire some strippers and you find yourself with a video. I always thought that videos and commercials were a great outlet for directors to take some liberties with visuals. Of course some songs require narratives but the beauty in a video, at least in my eyes, is that a strong song provides all the narrative that you need and the visual aesthetic can be just an accompaniment rather than the driving force. I also love when something is simple in idea but contains layers in the look. It just makes it a more enjoyable experience for me as a viewer. One example of that is this Strong Arm Steady "Chittlins & Pepsi" video directed by Henry Demaio. The idea is basic: dude with a bad chick cooking and eating some healthy food. What I like about it is the transparency of the images, the colors, the aged texture and the framing of the shots. In many ways its reflective of the song in emotional context and intimacy. It's definitely not what I would have thought of when I first heard the song and after watching the video I think its pretty on point. What do you think?
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3_6vfQHTeo&w=600&h=338]